These US States Vape The Most

Vaping is a serious concern in the United States. Not too long ago, a New York Attorney General Letitia James took a strong stand against e-cigarette manufacturers and distributors. James filed a lawsuit accusing them of fueling a youth vaping crisis. The lawsuit alleges that these companies that manufacture vapes, especially with flavors have misled consumers about the safety of their products while deliberately targeting young people through deceptive marketing.

In 2017, a median of 4.6% of US adults were considered current users of e-cigarettes or similar devices. The number has only been up ever since. Based on the 2017 surveys and federal data, here is list of the top states the US where most youth vapes.

At 10 and 9, we have Ohio and Colorado

In Ohio, the data presents a total of 5.33% of vape users, while 12.2% among them are adults between the age 18 to 24. The Ohio Department of Health announced that it would allocate $4 million for initiatives to curb vaping.

With the same number stands Colorado, where 13.5% makes the adult population between the age of 18 to 24. The cause of concern here is that 26.2% of them are high school students.

Number 8: Nevada

At number 8, we have Nevada, with a total of 5.4% of vape users, with 12.4% being adults between 18 to 25 and 15.5% in high school.

Number 7: Arkansas

In Arkansas, a total of 5.66% use vape, among them 14.7% are adults between 18 to 24 while 13.9% are high schoolers.

Number 6: West Virginia

In West Virginia, 5.67% people use vape, among them 10.9% are adults between age 18 to 24, while 14.3% are high schoolers.

Number 5: Wyoming

Wyoming reported a total of 5.8% vape users, and 15.2% of them were adults age between 18 to 24.

Number 4: Tennessee

Around 1 in 5 adults an 1 in 10 high schoolers in Tennessee smoked in 2017. The overall average of vape users are 5.9%, with 14.5% of adults and 11.5% high schoolers.

Number 3: Indiana

The overall average is at 6%, with 11.3% being adults age between 18 to 24.

Number 2: Kentucky

The overall average here is at 6.1%, with adults being 13.1% and high schoolers at 14.1%.

Number 1: Oklahoma

This is no surprise, if someone has ever watched the series Friends, when Chandler gets transferred at Oklahoma, where everyone smokes. The state too tops here for smoking and vaping, with an overall of 7.1% of users, with 15.4% being adults age between 18 to 24 and 16.4% highschoolers.

Vaping, A Concern

Vaping has become a more common form of tobacco use among American middle and high school students. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC, nearly 1.6 million students used e-cigarettes in 2024, with 87.6% of them opting for a flavored product. It is the flavor that makes it even more addictive, and people want to keep smoking it, resulting in it being emptied and refilled way more quickly. This means those who smoke flavored cigarettes consume more tobacco than those who smoke unflavored ones. Although overall youth vaping rates have declined by almost 70% since their peak in 2019, health officials say the industry’s marketing tactics remain a serious concern.